SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Democratic legislators advanced a plan to overhaul New Mexico’s three-seat congressional map and reshape a southern district traditionally dominated by Republicans.
The map proposal from Democratic Sen. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces would bolster a Hispanic majority in New Mexico’s southern 2nd Congressional District by extending its boundaries into Albuquerque, the state’s largest metro area. The map also would break up a conservative stronghold in the state’s southeastern oil production zone that's currently part of the 2nd District in to multiple districts — a change condemned emphatically by Republicans.
The plan holds implications for New Mexico’s slate of three first-term congresswomen, including Republican U.S. Rep. Yvette Herrell.